what we've got

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=3 height=65 BGCOLOR="#990000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="00f00410dvldzz.gif"> <div> what we've got</div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" rowspan="2" width=162 BGCOLOR="#999966" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <A HREF="id49.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Background"><U>Background</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id51.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Information Empowerment"><U>Information Empowerment</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id52.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Conventional Personal Computers"><U>Conventional Personal Computers</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id53.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The History of Personal Computing"><U>The History of Personal Computing</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id54.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="analysis"><U>analysis</U></A></div> <div> <B>what we've got</B></div> <div> <A HREF="id56.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Telecom Solution"><U>Telecom Solution</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id57.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="obsolete cellular technology"><U>obsolete cellular technology</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id58.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Heres how it could work:"><U>Here's how it could work:</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id59.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Off Line Readers"><U>Off Line Readers</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id60.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="TMM"><U>TMM</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id61.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Initial Benefits"><U>Initial Benefits</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id62.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Virtuous Circle"><U>Virtuous Circle</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id63.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Conclusions"><U>Conclusions</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id67.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Update"><U>Update</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id68.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Useful Links"><U>Useful Links</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.telepathic.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.telepathic.com"><U><B><IMG SRC="0d264190.gif" border=0 width="100" height="25" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=385 colspan=2 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> If we look around at what is available we will find that there are Powerful 386 PCs (1992 vintage) which are being dumped at <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0033FF" FACE="Arial" ><B>£65 per ton</B></FONT>. Unlike mechanical devices these are not worn out - there is very little in these systems to wear out. The units are w<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0033CC" FACE="Arial" >orkable and serviceable. </FONT>Their technology is <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0033CC" FACE="Arial" >well understood. </FONT>They could get Malaysia (or another emerging nation) to Stage 1.</div> <bR> <div> But to be something more than isolated pieces of computing power, to give poor people access to timely information these systems need to be linked up. And here is where we find the real problem - telecommunications. In the emerging economies <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0033CC" FACE="Arial" >telecommunications are expensive a</FONT>nd they are only getting cheaper quite slowly. Outside of the major cities t<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0033CC" FACE="Arial" >elecommunications are poor. </FONT>Satellite and cellular phones can fill in the gaps but very big investment would be required and this is not likely in the present state of the world economy. Even if the investment were made the service costs would be prohibitive.</div> <bR> <div> One rule of networks applies to telephones. Telephones are only valuable when there are lots of them</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800000000.gif" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">One telephone is useless</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800000000.gif" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Two telephones are barely useful</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800000000.gif" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">100 telephones are slightly useful</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800000000.gif" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">100,000 telephones - critical mass</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800000000.gif" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">10 million telephones - cannot do without it</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >It seems to me that Universal education with timely information at the right price is only possible if we have a </FONT><A HREF="id56.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Telecom Solution"><U><B>Telecom Solution</B></U></A></div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=30 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <A HREF="id54.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="analysis"><U><B><IMG SRC="0021f150.gif" border=0 width="31" height="21" ALT="previous" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B> </B><A HREF="id56.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Telecom Solution"><U><B><IMG SRC="0041f150.gif" border=0 width="31" height="21" ALT="next" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>    </B><A HREF="id48.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Smart Communities on Diminished Budgets"><U><B><IMG SRC="0031f150.gif" border=0 width="31" height="21" ALT="up" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B> </B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="21" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="31"></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>